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Zapier Integration

Zapier lets you connect APITemplate.io with thousands of other apps to automate PDF and image generation — no coding required.

With the APITemplate.io Zapier integration you can:

  • Create PDFs from templates based on data from other apps
  • Create images from templates whenever a trigger fires (new spreadsheet row, form submission, etc.)
  • Use the generated download_url in subsequent Zap steps (send via email, upload to storage, post to social media, etc.)

Section 1: Automate PDF Generation​

This section covers creating PDFs automatically using Zapier and APITemplate.io.

Step 1 — Create a PDF template on APITemplate.io​

  1. Log in to app.apitemplate.io and navigate to Manage Templates
  2. Click New Template to create a new PDF template (or select an existing one)

APITemplate.io PDF template editor

  1. Use the format {{variable_name}} for dynamic values — for example, {{company_name}}, {{amount}}, {{date}}
  2. Update the JSON values in the Sample JSON tab and preview with Quick Preview (Ctrl-Q) or Generate PDF

JSON data for the PDF template

Step 2 — Create a Zap with the Create PDF action​

  1. Log in to Zapier and click Create Zap
  2. Set up a trigger based on your use case (e.g., new Google Sheets row, new form submission, new payment in Stripe)

Zapier — set up a trigger

  1. Add an action step and search for APITemplate.io
  2. In the Action Event, select Create PDF

Zapier — select APITemplate.io Create PDF action

  1. Connect your APITemplate.io account using your API key (find it at API Integration)

Step 3 — Configure the action and map data​

  1. Select your template from the dropdown list
  2. Add the JSON key-value pairs that correspond to the dynamic variables in your template. For example, set the key company_name and map its value to data from your trigger.

Zapier — configure PDF action and map data

Step 4 — Test and publish​

  1. Click Test & Review to generate a test PDF
  2. The response includes a download_url — use this in subsequent Zap steps to email the PDF, upload it to cloud storage, etc.

Zapier — test the PDF generation action

The generated PDF:

Generated PDF document

Once verified, turn on your Zap to automate PDF generation.

Section 2: Automate Image Generation​

This section walks through connecting Google Sheets and APITemplate.io in Zapier to automatically generate images whenever a spreadsheet row is added or updated.

Step 1 — Sign up for APITemplate.io​

You need an account on APITemplate.io — sign up at app.apitemplate.io

Step 2 — Configure the action in Zapier​

In the APITemplate.io action step, select the event Create Image, then choose your template, expiration, and payload type:

APITemplate.io action setup

Payload types

There are two payload types:

  • Dictionary (key-value pairs) — a flat set of simple key-value pairs, suitable for most use cases
  • JSON — hierarchical data for more complex templates

For image generation, Dictionary is the recommended payload type.

Step 3 — Copy key-value pairs from the Image Template Editor​

To get the property keys for your template:

  1. Open the Image Editor in APITemplate.io
  2. Navigate to the **Integrations tab
  3. Copy the properties of the visual elements you want to override

Copy property keys from the Zapier/Integromat/N8n tab

Step 4 — Paste the key in Zapier​

  1. Back in Zapier, paste the property names as keys in the Dictionary table
  2. Map each key's value to the corresponding column from your Google Sheets trigger data

Mapping property keys in Zapier

Example workflows​

  • Google Sheets → Product image — new row triggers image generation for e-commerce listings
  • Google Sheets → PDF invoice — new row triggers PDF generation, then email the invoice
  • Typeform → Certificate PDF — form submission generates a personalized certificate
  • Airtable → Social media image — new record creates a branded social media graphic
  • Stripe → Receipt PDF — new payment triggers a receipt PDF

Tips​

  • Use Zapier's Formatter step to transform data before passing it to APITemplate.io
  • Use the download_url from the APITemplate.io step in an email or file upload step
  • For image templates, always copy the property keys from the Integration(Ranamed from Zapier/Integromat/N8n) tab in the Image Editor to ensure the correct key names
  • You can chain multiple actions after generation — for example, upload to Google Drive, then send an email notification

Further reading​